| The Le Mans 24 Hour Skate (The 24 Heures Rollers) |
| Written by Dogsbody | |
| Wednesday, 24 August 2005 | |
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You may have heard of the Le Man 24 hour motor race where teams race around the extended track in Le Mans, France to see how many laps they can complete in 24 hours..... well now imagine the same thing on skates!! This is a yearly event, usually the first weekend in July where teams of up to 10 people (plus up to 3 pit crew) can race in a relay around the Le Mans track just like the motor race. With over 600 teams entering each year and over 10 people in each team there is a lot of skaters there and the atmosphere is amazing. The similarities with the motor version don't end there, your position on the track at the start is decided by one member of your team doing a 300 meter sprint and at the start everyone lines up on one side of the track with their skates on the other, at the starting pistol you have to dash over and do your laces up before setting off. The website for the event can be found at http://www.24rollers.com/ however it is in French and is not updated each year until registration opens. Teams have to register their team (and our team name) in March which costs 400 Euro's (at time of writing) although you won't have to say who the people are in the team until May. Entrants without a valid FFRS license, must provide a medical certificate that certifies their ability to participate. The race takes place on the 4.5 kilometre Bugatti circuit of the Le Mans race track. The course is flat except for one 3.5% grade uphill section of 600 meters followed by a 2% grade downhill section of 1 kilometre that includes two sweeping curves. Most of all it is fantastic fun! I would highly recommend it. |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 August 2005 ) |